'Relaxed but resolute': Ukrainians keep calm as tensions with Russia increase

World leaders have become increasingly concerned that Russia is plotting to invade Ukraine.

On Monday, Boris Johnson said the situation is is "very, very dangerous", while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke of a "serious threat to peace in Europe".

How are Ukrainians on the ground reacting to these warnings? ITV News Senior International Correspondent John Irvine travelled to the eastern part of the country, where residents have a history of defending their independence.

Mortar shells had landed here, in eastern Ukraine, yesterday and we wondered if the smoke we saw meant Russian-backed separatists had fired more today. They hadn’t, but the burning grass was a surprise nonetheless. It’s mid-February and the ground was meant to be sufficiently frozen to support Russian tanks. Instead, here it was in flames. It has been unseasonably mild. It’s a good example of eastern Ukraine not being the place you might expect it to be right now.

The good weather has brought out the citizens of the vulnerable city of Mariupol. They shop in fully-stocked supermarkets. There are no empty shelves because the threat of invasion has not led to the panic buying that the threat of toilet roll shortages did in Britain not long ago. They may be relaxed, but they are also resolute. Many have been attending army tutorials to learn about first aid, minefields and firing rifles. Driving close to the militarized zone that separates Ukraine from the pro-Russian separatist region we came to a destroyed bridge. During the to and fro of the fighting in 2015 the Ukrainian Army blew it up to secure their hold on the village of Pavlopil.

A couple of hundred yards away, a memorial commemorates the local men killed in the Second World War. The tank battles fought on the steppe around here were some of the biggest in history. It’s perfect tank country and the barren landscape offers the Ukrainians few natural barriers to defend. Nonetheless, the war memorial in Pavlopil is a reminder that these are brave people who have a history of fighting for their freedom.